Xtremely Today Vulnerable Favorite In Mouse Lotto

Xtremely Today Vulnerable Favorite In Mouse Lotto

Pennsylvania – I left the plane in a driving rainstorm that according to the weatherman was going to continue well into the weekend.  It’s a good thing that the clubhouse is enclosed as the track has a plethora of stakes carded for this weekend.  Rain never bothered an Arizona girl so with the BTB Form over my head, I finally waved down a cab and was on my way to the racetrack to see whets what with the eleven entries in the Mouse Lotto.com this Saturday.  The Grade III, Mouse Lotto will be run over what promises to be a yielding turf course at a distance of 5 1/2 furlongs and is for all horses 4 & up.  On my arrival at the track, I decided not to brave the barn area and settled in a cozy corner of the Winner’s Circle Lounge with a drink and a sharp pencil to look at the slightly damp form.

On the inside is a 4 YO son of Red Ransom, Lowlands Lutf (5/1).  Trained by Wonder3 (is this part of the Supergroup?) this dark bay colt does have some nice credentials leading up to this race and enters off a closing second place finish last time out in the Pickle Picking with a 108.  His only grass race was his very first start in the Dakota Chief and he finished third.   He then switched surfaces and as a 3 YO, he won the Year Of The Sal and the Instant Ali Bonanza.  There are some downsides to this colt in that he has never run this short, he doesn’t favor a yielding track and his best finish in three graded attempts was a 7^th.  With the jock looking for his second win in four months, he has a lot of obstacles to overcome.

Balto (5/1) will break from post two and is a lovely bright bay 4 YO colt by Forty Niner.  The Aalusive trainee has five wins from 21 starts on both surfaces and is 7/13 in the money on grass.  He is a winner of two of his last eight including his last which was over the main track.  While he has only allowance races this year, he has plenty of back class and he loves a soft track.  He finished second in the Grade II Dracula (turf), the Grade I GSR Diamond, and the Grade I Tain Bo Cuailnge.  He broke his maiden at this distance but has not run this short since.

Mannart Tornado (7/1) is a well bred son of Storm Cat and the bay 4 YO is trained by Ashworth.  He is 10/13 in the money on grass and better yet, is 2/2 on a soft track.  He comes into this race riding a three race win streak including the Believable Tie last time out but they were all at distances of over a mile, however he does have some gas and did finish second in an allowance race at Saturday’s distance so he does have some gas.

Post four will hold Iokappa (15/1) who at the ancient age of eight would probably rather be out eating grass somewhere.  By Broad Brush, the big brown horse has won seven of 39 starts on the grass and is 3/6 in the money on an off track.  He is a solid allowance horse who can compete at the stakes level as he won the I Love Sal Memorial last time out at seven furlongs.  If you go back two years he did finish second in the Grade I All Comers earning the best speed figure of his career, a 108.  Trainer Xenophon says that the horse has a lot of early speed and thought the shorter distance would be easier on his old legs.

Crescent Lake (9/1) will be the easiest to pick out in the race – for better or worse – as he is the only grey in the field.  The 4 YO son of Cozzene is conditioned by Bigskyfarm and has been in the money in 10 of 17 starts including six wins.  Even more attractive this colt loves a soft track and has won 2 of three starts.   Both of his most recent wins have come against allowance horses and both were at a longer distance.  He did finish second in the Undeniably Mine but he will need a big effort on Saturday.

Chasity72 is a trainer who has started 422 horses, with only 17 wins.  Although the trainer has had enough experience to know better than to enter a claimer in a Grade III race, sometimes people just figure that you can’t win if you don’t enter.   That might explain why Smart Canadian (57/1), who couldn’t win for a $10,000 claim, is in this race.  The 6 YO horse has four wins from 39 starts and has run in graded events before, although in his six graded attempts he has only beaten one horse.  Is best career speed figure ever is a 97 and that was back when he was a sprightly four year-old.  The one thing this old guy can do is run over a soft track as he has been in the money in half of his off track races.

Post seven will hold the slight favorite in this race, Xtremely Today (9/2).  Ranked in the top 100 in the turf sprint division, this dark bay 5 YO horse was a lucky claim picked up when Ejdstable quit the game.  Mrfu, no slouch as a trainer, himself was the lucky claimee and the son of Lemon Drop Kid is a dandy.  He has won eight of 22 starts and is 7/18 on the grass.  Xtremely Today has won three of his last eight starts including the River Dancing and the Culver City.  He also has a nice third in the Grade III Black Label Sprint and comes into this race off an allowance prep.   He is a closer and has never run this short so will need to be ‘shook up’ early to get the job done.  The biggest drawback might be that he is not particularly fond of a soft track.

Seeking The Gold is represented by his 4 YO son Gold Inferno (5/1).  Trained by one of the Sim’s best, Correction, he is also a top 100 horse with four wins from his 11 turf starts and he is ok with a soft track.  This is another horse that will be running at the end but may run out of real estate.  Gold Inferno won the Ten Bump and the Snow Topping at longer but only could manage a closing fourth in the Grade II, Ever Clear, his only try at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Jockfan5 will saddle Barb’s Hilary (23/1) one of two fillies in the race.  By speedy sire Say Florida Sandy, this plain bay filly has only won one race in the past year but she is a gutsy sort.  She has three wins from 29 starts but that doesn’t tell the whole story.  Granted she would probably have a much better chance at the allowance or lesser stake level, she likes the turf, likes the distance and likes it soft.  As a 2 YO she was second in the Dirty River and the Baby River stakes.  For an unknown reason she was dropped into a $2000 claimer in her first start as a 3 YO and went on to finish 2^nd in the Seattle Rock before being dropped into a $35,000 claimer where she was picked up by her current owner.  Recently she finished third in the Rigidly Within Sea and was second in the Proficient Memorial.  Best of all she is 5/5 on the board at 5 1/2 furlongs or less.

The other filly is Lily Mansfield (12/1) a 4 YO bay daughter of Deputy Minister.  Bigmoose2 (any relationship to Jumpmoose?) is the trainer of this top 100 filly who is 5/7 in the money over the lawn, including three wins all of them in her last eight starts.  She finished second in the Grade I Yves St Martin at the distance on a yielding track after wining a restricted stake.  There is a lot to like about this filly that seems to be just getting better.

Breaking from the outside will be Ziklag (7/1) a 6YO bay horse by Chester House, owned and trained by Rvd.  Ranked # 10, he has eight wins from 45 starts on the grass and is 2/5 in the money on a soft track.  Although he has been running against the best he has not won in almost a year and his best recent graded finish was four back in the six furlong, Japan Sprint.  He was a super horse in his younger years winning from five furlongs to a mile and never ducked the competition.  He seems to have lost a step or two and would probably appreciate being dropped a class level, however, back class is always to be feared and the old guy may have a surprise or two left.

I doubt the Easter Egg Hunt in the infield will be well attended but the clubhouse is warm and dry and the card is good.  Good Luck to all the partcipants.